THE fires that swept through the municipality of Mijas last Sunday could have been started with the intention of robbing houses in the area.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper Sur, the mayor of Mijas, Angel Nozal, commented that although they were still investigating the cause of the fires, they had not ruled out the notion that they may have been set in particular areas to allow thieves to gain access to evacuated houses and rob them.

To reinforce this argument, the mayor explained that Club la Costa authorities had informed the fire brigade of several small fires in the area which were put out almost immediately or which never got going.

Club La Costa is one of the biggest timeshare developments in the area. It reported that several ‘shady characters’ had been seen in the area at the time of the fires.

Nozal went on to point out that the areas in which the fires started were not wooded or scrubland and so the only way in which they could have been started was by human intervention.

Investigations into the matter are ongoing.

TWO hundred people were evacuated from Club La Costa, Mijas, as a fire swept towards the resort.

Another 800 left the area to avoid the dense clouds of choking smoke that could be seen from  miles around.

The fire broke out near houses in El Faro on Sunday afternoon at around 5.30pm. It is said to have started between Polarsol and La Ponderosa urbanisations.

A strong wind fanned the flames and swept them perilously close to homes. The fire was brought under control at 7.50pm.